I was diagnosed with anorexia and five days later I was in hospital fighting for my life: Eating disorder that started in Covid nearly killed warehouse worker, 19, who was eating only a few grapes a day

A teenager who was sent home from an eating disorder clinic after being diagnosed with anorexia was fighting for her life in hospital just five days later.

Claudia Fletcher, 19, started losing weight rapidly in September 2022 while working in a warehouse to raise money to travel.

The work was ‘brutal’ and took a huge toll on her health as she walked 20,000 steps a day and lifted heavy boxes during her 6am to 2pm shift.

In November, Claudia contacted her GP, who referred her to the eating disorder service, but was told she would have to wait six weeks for her first appointment and a further six weeks before being assessed for any kind of help.

Just five days after her first appointment, Claudia was hospitalized in an acute medical unit at Glenfield Hospital, where she could barely walk or get out of bed.

In just three months, Claudia had lost around 12 kilos – almost two stone.

Claudia told MailOnline exclusively: ‘There wasn’t much left of me really. I was so controlled by the disease and anyone who got in my way (she thought) was out to get me.

‘My mother was so desperate. She sat at the computer all day, every day, searching and desperate for a place to take me, and I have never seen my father so scared. They were just terrified of where this was going to end up.”

In the days leading up to her hospitalization, Claudia ate nothing at all, at most a few grapes, and was reluctant to accept help from her parents.

Claudia believes that if she had not been admitted to the hospital after that first appointment, she would have been dead before the next appointment.

She believes the anxiety caused by the Covid lockdowns has affected many young women and that is when her eating problems started.

“I think Covid has had a big impact on a lot of young girls, with their body image, eating habits and things like that,” she said.

Claudia is now deep in her recovery and is currently in her first year at Newcastle University studying psychology.

While Claudia said the care she received from the inpatient unit was ‘impeccable’, she said more NHS funding was needed to ensure people could be ‘seen before they became seriously ill’.

This summer she will skydive to raise money for BEAT – the British eating disorder charity – which supported her family during Claudia’s stay in hospital.

She has set up a JustGiving page to raise money for her challenge.

Claudia wrote on her JustGiving page: ‘Anorexia is the most fatal mental illness, killing 1 in 5 sufferers.

‘The inpatient care I received from the NHS was impeccable, and I cannot thank them enough for everything they did for me during my six-month stay in hospital and for the support they continue to give me through outpatient care.

‘However, it is still unacceptable that eating disorders are seen as a ‘weight-based’ disease and that people do not get the treatment they need until it is often too late and they are in a physically critical position.

‘No one should die from an eating disorder in 2023. I am one of the lucky ones who are still here today to fight for more funding for eating disorder services in the NHS, so that everyone can get the help they need before their physical health becomes so poor. The consequences are irreversible and traumatic .

‘All people suffering from erectile dysfunction deserve help, regardless of their physical health or their weight. Anorexia Nervosa is a psychological condition and not a physical one.

‘I’m raising money for the charity BEAT, who supported me and my family when the NHS fell short.’

Claudia admitted she had had problems with eating for a few years, but it became serious when she started the job because she was ‘isolated’, which gave her the ‘perfect opportunity to fall into it’.

“I always wanted to lose weight, by dieting here and there, but my weight never really changed,” said Claudia.

‘As soon as I started the job I noticed it was a way to lose weight, I stuck to it and went into a complete spiral.

‘When I started losing weight, it wasn’t about how I looked anymore. I just wanted to eat less and less and do more and more. And I didn’t know how to stop it.

‘I have always been a perfectionist and I like to set goals. At work there was a collection rate of how many boxes you had to sort per hour. It wasn’t the end of the world if you didn’t get that grade, but in my head it was.

‘I put a lot of pressure on myself and felt like I had achieved something if I lost weight. And because people started to worry, it confirmed all of this and led to an eating disorder.”

Thanks to the care she received from the Inpatients Bennion Centre, including meal plans, contact with dietitians and therapy, Claudia is now enjoying university life.

Founded in 1989 as the Eating Disorders Association, BEAT is a national helpline that exists to support and encourage recovery.

People can contact the charity online or by phone. Representatives listen, provide advice and support people to take positive steps towards their recovery.

Pascale Harvie, president and chief executive of JustGiving, said: “Claudia is truly inspiring. Despite having an incredibly difficult 18 months, she is using her experience to raise money and awareness for a very important charity.

‘From everyone at JustGiving we wish Claudia the best of luck with her mission.’

To make a donation to Claudia’s fundraiser, visit her Just Giving page here.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder or care for someone who is, come visit beatingdisorders.co.uk for advice and support.